Flowers
by Hyper V
Summary: Katara hated Valentine's Day because a couple years ago, her mother died the year after Valentine's Day. But then she meets Aang, who enlightens her on why she shoudln't appose Valentine's Day, but embrace the fact that it's about love. Modern Avatar.


**Hey guys. Um . . . err . . . heh, I'm putting this up early because I have computer restrictions (AGAIN) because I didn't make honor roll (stupid French), so I can only post stuff on weekends. Don't be sad and stuff because my computer was gonna be taken away for two whole months until next report card, be happy that didn't happen! I will now work diligently on homework (my problem) and The Dance/The Interview/Into The Darkness. **

**I hate Valentine's Day (mostly because all boys HATE me and I always get flowers that die (I still have last Valentine's Day's flower.))**

**Disclaimer: No Avatar for me. Poop. That would be the best Valentine's gift EVER! **

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It wasn't that Katara hated Valentine's Day, she just didn't particularity like it. Since her mother died a couple years ago in a car accident, she hadn't taken a liking to the flowers she got from her brother and father and friends.

Flowers. _Pppft._ She disliked even thinking of the retched things that seemed to take up space and always seemed to die. She even had flowers from a couple Valentine's ago. They were dead and wilted, but they held their shape and still looked pretty. They actually kind of reminded Katara of herself. She was pretty and perfect on the outside and dying on the inside; that was the only thing she liked about the flowers.

But her perspective on flowers seemed to change a few years later when she met her new friend, Aang. They were only in second grade, when she met, and now they were in third. Oh, how third grade was a miracle. They had a class pet and a Valentine's Day card trade and everything. Although, the only thing that Katara liked in third grade was that she and Aang were, yet again, in the same class and sitting next to each other in their seats, too. In just a few minutes, class would begin and then the Valentine's Day card trade.

"Alright class," her teacher began, writing _3x4=?_ on the bored. Katara hated multiplication. Especially her _4_s. "Can anyone tell me what this is?"

Instantly, Aang raised his hand shyly. He was always shy in class when it came to math, but he always seemed to answer the questions right.

"Aang," the teacher called, "would you mind sharing with us what this equals?"

Aang blushed from embarrassment as all of the students turned to their fellow classmate. He shrunk in his seat a bit and kept his eyes on the teacher. She was waiting patiently for the shy boy to tell her what the equation equaled.

"Twelve," Aang squeaked softly as he hid his chin in the collar of his shirt.

"That's right," the teacher praised, writing _?=12 _on the bored.

Katara saw her friend's discomfort, and, like she always did when he was uncomfortable, placed a soft hand on his shoulder. Aang looked up at her and blushed even more than before, giving Katara a big smile as he sat up. She returned the soft gesture and looked back at the bored as the teacher talked.

A few more hours passed and then lunch came. Katara got up out of her seat and lined up at the door like the rest of the students did, Aang hot on her heals as he got in behind her. The third graders always had lunch with the fourth graders, which meant that Aang and Katara would be seeing the rest of their friends who were all a grade ahead of her and Aang, excluding Toph who was now pushing the kid behind Aang to get to her friends.

"Out of my way," Toph grumbled as she pushed the small boy out of line and hopped in his place. She glared at him with her half-sightless eyes until he ran to the back of the line.

"Hey Toph," Aang and Katara said in unison, which made both of them blush profusely.

"Hey, lovebirds," Toph greeted back, making their blushes grow even more red. "I hate Valentine's Day."

"Me too," Katara agreed as the teacher ordered her class to march slowly out of the room and to the cafeteria.

"I don't know why you hate it," Aang whispered, considering they weren't supposed to be talking. "It's a time to love and to get loved back. Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday."

Katara scoffed and tuned her head to Toph who somehow got in front of her without anyone noticing.

"He's such a girl," Toph sighed quietly as she blew a piece of her raven hair out of her face.

When they got into the cafeteria, Sokka – Katara's brother - , Suki, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee and Yue were waiting for them. The table they sat at was just perfect for the nine friends. Since they were all in either third or fourth grade, the different classes weren't supposed to sit together so that they could be identified. But only a select few tables in the caf. Were for both grades, and the gang always sat at the exact center table where both fourth and third grade students could sit.

When Sokka saw his little sister and walking into the caf., he saved his seat and ran over to them.

"Hand me something," he whispered to each of them. Katara gave him her necklace, Aang his jacket and Toph her bobby pin. "Thanks." And with that said, Sokka ran off and saved their seats at their usual table.

They all laughed and headed into the lunch line, grabbing a tray and a heart-shaped cookie from the lunch lady, who smiled and handed them each a pink heart pencil, and walked off to pay.

"So Katara," Aang said as he and Katara got in one line to pay for lunch, "why do you hate Valentine's Day so much?"

"Well," Katara started as she looked down at her tray of heart shaped chicken nuggets, "before she died, my mom used to always give me tons of cool stuff on Valentine's Day and tell me how much she loved me. I used to always love what she got, mainly because she always got me a single rose, a different color every year. But my favorite was the Panda Lilly that she got me the Valentine's Day before she died. I still have the flower, although it's dead."

Aang looked at her with sympathy. No wonder Valentine's Day is hard for her. She looked uncomfortable, so Aang put on a smile and said, "Well that can't stop you from loving it. My guardian Gyatso always used to say the love is an energy that swirls all around us and is reborn in the form of new love. So if anything, your love for your mom isn't dead and neither is your spirit for Valentine's Day. If anything, you should cherish this day even more, not resent the fact that today is supposed to be about love. And I know that today will be special because today is supposed to be about that love that you hold for your mom."

Katara smiled at his infinite wisdom. Her next move, though, surprised her more than it did Aang. She cupped his left cheek with her right hand and kissed his left cheek, leaving Aang stunned and his cheeks burning. She just smiled and nudged him to pay for his lunch. Aang fumbled as he got out a crinkled dollar bill, still blushing as he waited for Katara to pay and they walked to the lunch table in silence, Aang smiling his big goofy smile the whole way through lunch.

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"Ok class," the teacher said as she picked up a white paper bag with pink and red hearts all over it and the teacher's name written in purple ink on the front, "pick up you Valentines and start placing them carefully in your classmates bags. Then when everyone's done, we can have our Valentine's Day party."

Katara went over and dropped a Valentine in Toph's bag. Then she moved to Ty Lee's bag, then Meng's, and then On Ji's and so on until only Aang's Valentines was left. She had made Aang's Valentine special. It was a carefully cut out heart. The heart was big, inside holding a carefully thought out note that she had written in her best handwriting. There was a bag on the back that contained his favorite candies – caramel chocolate and Twix bars. His Valentine's Day bag was only half filled, so she carefully placed the note/Valentines on the side of the bag and walked over to the snack table to grab some apple juice and a doughnut.

As she walked back to her seat, she could see something was wrong with her bag; something was sticking out of it. As she came closer to her seat, she could see it was a flower. Not just any flower, but a single Panda Lilly with a note and a small box of chocolates attached. She picked up the note and started reading the writing that was in calligraphy.

_Dear Katara,  
>I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day. Try not to think of your mother, but the love that you still hold for her. I know you like dark chocolate and you told me you like Panda Lilies, so I got you both. <em>

_ With love,  
>your friend,<br>Aang_

Katara looked up at her bag and reached in, picking up the first living Panda Lilly that she had seen in ages. She sniffed the flower. It smelled of ash and perfume; her favorite scent. Next, Katara picked up the small box of chocolates and placed on in her mouth, eating it slowly as she savored the taste. She finally looked up to find Aang at the snack table looking at her with bright eyes and a wide smile, a blush on his face. Katara knew she would have to thank him later for the best Valentine's Day that she had in years.

At her house after school that day, she grabbed the nicest vase she could find. The vase was made of glass and was purple and went well with the Panda Lilly she had in her hand. She filled the vase with water, poured flower care stuff in, and cut the end of the flower with a kitchen knife so that the end of the flower was slanted, and cut the end of the flower's leaves off. She placed the flower in the purple glass vase and taped the note to the front of the vase. She took the vase and flower upstairs to her room and replaced the new flower with her mother's old and dying flower. Katara stepped back and looked at the flower, knowing that what Aang had said was wise and true, and that, years from now, she would still have his flower and his words. She knew she was lucky to have such a sweet friend.


End file.
